Eye of the Storm
by OceanVoyager
Summary: Obito is mysteriously brought back to life at the cost of his memories. Driven by a strange desire to seek out an unfamiliar face, he must save Kakashi before an old enemy carries out their plan of revenge... but will they be able to handle the truth? AU where Obito is not Tobi. (Because I started writing this before it was confirmed.)
1. Horse With No Name

**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter 1: Horse With No Name  
**

The shadows stretched across the ground, reaching away from the setting sun. The sky looked like a blanket of cherry blossom petals flowing delicately, reflecting the sun's final rays of light. The air felt calm and peaceful, the smell of flowers and pollen engulfing my nostrils…

I stared off in deep thought as I walked towards the faces in the mountains I had seen from afar. I felt I was doing this almost automatically, like I didn't have a choice in the matter.

Suddenly, I was startled and thrown to the ground as a powerful force struck the back of my head.

I stumbled to my feet to find two guys around me, ugly smirks across their faces.

"Give us all your possessions and we'll let you go without a scratch." Said the tallest goon, his eyes were burning with greed.

I placed my hand on the back of my head to check for blood. To my surprise, it was just a lump.

"You seem to have already broken that agreement." I spat to him.

"We'll just have to rough up this punk!" The fattest goon punched the palm of his hand several times. Teeth were missing from his grin as he spoke again, "His attitude is pissing me off."

They both moved so fast I couldn't tell who was throwing the kicks and punches at me. I tried to duck, I tried to block, but it was to no avail that I found the strength to help myself.

I became all too familiar with the ground in such a short time. Every time I tried to get up, I'd only be reminded at how weak I was. I didn't like this.

I lied there briefly to collect my thoughts. Everything was going so fast. Was this going to be the end? Was I never going to reach those mountains?

Suddenly I felt a burning desire inside to keep getting up. I applied pressure to my left eye to prevent swelling and to help the pain. I stood up, almost falling over but keeping my balance long enough to say, "I won't lose to the likes of you!"

That's when the whole tide of battle seemed to unexpectedly shift. They now looked at me with worried eyes.

"I-I know that…! I recognize it! We've got to get out of here!" The tall ugly one seemed to be very afraid and staggered away, leaving the big dumb one behind.

"Ah-uuugh I know let's scram!" And with that, they were gone in an instant. I smiled as I fell to the ground, passing out before my face could embrace the dirt.

* * *

When I finally arrived to a town called "Konoha" the moon was high in the sky. I noticed the five faces carved into the huge mountain that loomed over it and tried to focus on them in great detail. Four of them were men and the last one was a woman. I had guessed they were very important people for this town. I gazed upon the fourth face in awe, and decided he would be my favorite.

When I finally came to, I realized that I didn't even remember anything recent about my past. All I could think of was being in darkness, complete silence, except for this strange feeling I had to help someone. Someone close to me, someone I was sure was my friend.

But how was I going to locate my friend? Maybe they would somehow recognize me?

I wandered around Konoha almost aimlessly. I didn't really bother to look around much; there were only a few people on the streets at this time. I knew I wouldn't be lucky enough to find them on a dime like this.

I did stop to look at a flier, however. It read, "Konohagakure's Hanami Festival: March 25-27." I didn't even know what day it was today. I let out a hefty sigh of discouragement. Now that it was late night time, it started to become a bit cold and I really needed to find somewhere to sleep.

I did happen upon a bench, and even though it was made of rock, it could have been made of clouds for all I cared, since I felt like I hadn't slept in years.

* * *

It was a good thing I had a jacket on, otherwise I was sure I would've froze to death overnight. I couldn't believe how cold it was, I knew it was near spring, but how could the cold still linger around like this? I felt sore from the beating I had taken yesterday, but knew it wasn't anything serious.

I got up to stretch and take a second to notice my surroundings. Some of the residents of Konoha seemed to be starting to set up tables and decorations for the festival today. My stomach roared as the aroma of food filled the streets. I couldn't help but follow the tantalizing smell deeper into town.

As if subconsciously, I had made my way to a place called "Ichiraku Ramen." I peered in only to find out that there weren't any current customers. The roaring of my stomach grew louder, so much to where it became noticeable to someone other than me.

"Hello! What can I get you?" said a cute brown eyed woman.

"Ugh... umm… but, I don't have any money, so…" but then my stomach betrayed me again.

"Well, since you're my fourth customer of the day, it'll be on me." She suggested with a wink.

I felt my face light up. "Really? That would be great!" I said as I took a seat. "Wait, why the fourth customer?"

"Four happens to be my favorite number." She giggled.

"Oh, that's lucky for me, then." I grinned along with her.

She placed a bowl of a delicious looking meal in front of me. "Itadakimasu!" I said as I took a bite. It was delicious… for the first few seconds until suddenly…

"Hot… hot! HOT! This is the spiciest thing ever!" I yelled as I fanned my tongue.

"I'm sorry, is it too hot! It's a recipe I've been experimenting with!" she held out a glass of water that seemed to have appeared from thin air. "I'm sorry. Here, drink this quickly!"

After my mouth was no longer on fire, she offered another bowl of ramen, assuring me this one would not melt my taste buds.

I cautiously took a bite from this one, unbeknownst to her as to prevent hurting her feelings and this one appeared to be normal… well not just normal, very delicious.

After a long while of chatting and stuffing my face, I found out that her name was Ayame, and that her and her father ran that ramen place. It turned out he was out of town for the moment on a business trip of some sort. I felt pretty bad that she had to run it on her own, especially since the festival was going to start in a few hours' time.

"I'm sorry again about that spicy ramen. I was hoping to make it successful enough to where my Dad would add it on to our old menu." She said as she bowed.

"It's ok Ayame, I know you meant well," I stared at the bottom of my empty bowl. "This was the greatest meal I've ever had in my whole life." I meant that to the fullest of my stomach.

"Aw, you're just saying that," She blushed a little. "But thank you though, that means a lot... Um, what is your name? I know I've never seen you around Konoha before."

Name. A name? I couldn't think of what to say. In that second I searched the depths of my soul for a name. Anything. I didn't want to look like a nameless freak. But I also didn't want to lie to this sweet girl. The only person I've known so far to treat me with such un-measureable kindness. I had to come up with something, she was waiting, and I couldn't back out of this one.

"Takashi?" I said with a small amount of uncertainty. "Takashi Nakamura." I grinned nervously.

"It's nice to officially meet you, Takashi." She softly smiled.

"The same for you, Ayame, it's a real pleasure to meet someone like you." I said as I finished the rest of my water.

She began to pick up my mess, and I felt the need to help.

"Ayame, will you be able to handle working the festival by yourself?"

"Well, my Dad's never been away on such busy days before, but I bet I can handle it."

"Are you sure? I could definitely help you out with dishes and cleaning."

She thought about it for a minute, resting her head on her hand.

"Sure, why not? You can start right now, actually." Then she looked me up and down. "Wait; let me get you and apron and a hat."Ayame disappeared into the back of the store briefly and returned, motioning with her hand to step behind the counter.

I slipped on my uniform, and then smiled at the thought of having my first job.

"Ok, let's go into the back room and I'll show you how to properly wash these dishes." She said as I grabbed my bowl from the front counter and followed close behind.

After just a few minutes of washing dishes, I slipped into a trance. I couldn't help but think about all the things that had happened to me in just a few hours. If I tried to remember anything earlier, it seemed to give me a small dosage of pain. I tried to avoid thinking about this.

I sighed heavily. I still could not help but think about who my friend was. Was I ever going to find him? I didn't even know his name.

I dropped a bowl on the ground. _How did I know it was a he?_

Ayame came running into the back room. "Takashi! Are you ok?"

"Y-yes, Ayame, I'm so sorry." I bent down to start picking up the broken ceramic frantically.

"Here," said Ayame as she used a small broom and a dust pan. "I'll take care of this, and I need you to watch the front counter for orders."

"Of course, it's not a problem Ayame." I dried off my hands and went up to the front to expect lots of customers. To my surprise, there was only one. The first thing I noticed about him was the cast over his right arm. He looked confused when I asked him what he would like to eat.

"When did you start working here?" He questioned.

"Just today, Ayame's father is on a business trip so I'm helping her out."

"Ok, give me a bowl of miso ramen with extra pork."

"Not a problem." I said as I proceeded to write it down, sloppily, I might add.

"I'm Naruto, by the way, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Oh, I'm Takashi Nakamura; it's nice to meet you, Naruto." I bowed politely.

"I've never seen you around before, are you new?" His curiosity beamed on his face.

"Yes, well, I'm just passing through."

"Where are you heading?"

"No where in particular, but I'm trying to find someone here in Konoha."

"Anybody I know?"

"The thing is, I don't know his name."

"What? Then how are you supposed to find him?" He wailed.

"I'm not sure… exactly. But I do know that my friend is a 'he.'"

"How do you know this?"

_He's right,_ I thought to myself. _How would I know that? _This only brought up my most recent of a hundred questions.

"I remember his face." I lied.

"I see. Well, maybe I can help you find him?"

"Are you sure? That would be great!" I smiled as I saw that Ayame came back. She was just bringing out Naruto's order.

Placing it in front of him, she asked. "So how's my best and favorite customer?"

"Much better now that I have this food." He joked as he gobbled it down whole-heartedly. Ayame and I both laughed.

"So how are we going to find the person I'm looking for, Naruto?"

Ayame's interest was piqued. "Oh? You're looking for someone, Takashi?"

Naruto spoke for me, "Yeah, Takashi remembers what he looks like, but not his name." Doubt enveloped me. _I wish I at least had that…_

"Huh. Well, you'll have an excellent opportunity in the next three days since there will be lots of people here at the festival."

"Hey that's a great idea Ayame! I didn't think about that."

"What do you mean, Naruto?" I asked.

"Since there will be a lot of people here at the festival, you can just look at all of their faces and see if it matches the memory you have."

_Great,_ I thought to myself, _how am I going to compare faces to a memory I don't have?_

"I do still have to help with Ichiraku." I said. "I need to pay you back for the bowl I broke, too."

"Well…" she pondered."I guess for now I can do it on my own, it's about time I tried it. My father isn't always going to be around to help me, you know. Besides, you can always work here when the festival is over too."

"That's awesome Ayame, now Takashi and I can go find his friend." He beamed.

I took off my apron and my little white hat and handed it to Ayame. "This means a lot to me, thank you very much." I bowed to her. _Even if I don't have much of a clue how to find him, at least I have some great help around me._

"Here's your pay for the past hour, Takashi." Ayame handed me ¥500. This was a lot more than I had expected.

"Wow! Thank you very much, Ayame!" I was so overjoyed my mouth hurt from smiling so much. "I owe you one."

"You're welcome, Takashi. I know you're going to need it."

Naruto struggled using his chop sticks with his left hand to pick up his pork, so I felt the need to help him. After all, he was helping me with something I probably couldn't do alone either.

* * *

Naruto and I started walking around Konoha's Hanami Festival around 10:00am. I made sure to look at every single male person to see if I would get any kind of gut feeling or a sudden blink of a memory. So far I hadn't gotten anything and I was sure I had looked into the faces of at least fifty male people so far. Even though I was starting to feel hopeless, Naruto's determined spirit made me want to go on. It was really funny, though, how Naruto and I bonded almost instantly. It was like we were long lost brothers or something. Maybe we were just a lot alike though?

After such a long time of walking around, I just had to get something to eat. Naruto was hungry as well, so we bought something to eat from the stand we were closest to and sat down at a nearby bench. As I ate my food, I couldn't help but look up at the five faces carved into the mountain once again. The fourth face seemed almost familiar to me that an idea struck me. _What if _he_ is the friend I'm looking for? He does seem to be someone I would know after all. _I decided to try and ask Naruto.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

He spoke with a mouth full of food, "Thure, thut zu thu thunna thask?"

"Well, it's just that… I don't know, but the fourth face up there on that mountain seems kind of familiar. Who is he?" Naruto's face became serious as he spoke.

"He… died, a long time ago. He was protecting Konoha from a… terrible monster." His face saddened intensely.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Naruto."

"It's ok Takashi. You didn't know." He said as he finished up his food. After a few seconds of silence, he got up and started waving frantically to someone with the biggest grin on his face I'd ever seen.

"Hey! Sakura-chan! Hey! Sai!"

"Come on," He said to me. "I want you to meet my friends." I stood up and walked over with him.

"Hey Sakura-chan! How do you like the Hanami Festival so far?" He asked the pink haired girl.

"Well, it's been pretty fun I guess. Sai here just doesn't know how to enjoy it, though. He's never been to one." I looked at the dark haired guy standing next to her. His face seemed so empty yet I still got the impersonation that he was having a good time.

"I'm still getting used to this, Sakura." He told both her and Naruto.

"Oh? Who's this, Naruto?" The girl asked as she looked at me. Her stare made me slightly nervous. Her aqua colored eyes had an edge to them, but deep within them were pools of a hidden secret…

"This is Takashi Nakamura."

She was cute. No, she was beautiful. _But still not as beautiful as…_ and in that second, I saw the image of a girl flash in my mind. _Huh? Who was that? _I was so utterly confused that Naruto and the other two saw that I was out of it.

"Takashi?" Naruto moved his hand in front of my face.

"Huh? Oh, sorry! Hello, I'm Takashi Nakamura," I bowed to both of them. "I'm very pleased to meet you both."

"I'm Sakura Haruno." She said with a smile.

"I'm Sai." He said with what I _think_ was a smile.

"I'm helping Takashi find someone here in Konoha," Naruto told them. "He doesn't remember his name but he does remember his face."

"Huh. Well, maybe we can help you out. Mind if we come along?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, sure, the more help the better." I said with a big grin painted across my face.

Walking around with Naruto and his friends was really fun. I also discovered the capacity of Sakura's strength as she tested it on Naruto. I felt so bad for him after that, but he did kind of deserve it. I laughed silently to myself. Sai was a strange one. Although he was silent and I forgot he was there, he did try and speak up and say something funny or nice, but it didn't end up that way most of the time. Sakura must really like punching these two all the time. There was no way I was going to join that club.

As soon as it was getting late, it started to get a little bit chillier. I couldn't believe how fast the day had gone by. Sakura had already left to go home for the night, and only now did Sai begin to leave as well, but before Naruto could even say a word about leaving, a woman holding a pig came up to us.

"Naruto, Hokage-sama needs to talk to you right away."

"Ok, Shizune." Naruto turned to me. "Do you have anywhere to stay tonight, Takashi?"

"Nope, not at all, unless that bench over there counts." I pointed at the same bench I had slept on last night.

"Come on, come with me." He pulled me along. The woman with the pig in her arms was gone just as quickly as she had appeared in our presence.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"We're going to see Old Lady Tsunade." He grinned sheepishly.

"Well, what do you need, Old Lady Tsunade?" We stood in front of a grand desk with a blonde haired woman behind it. Her hazel eyes could pierce into your soul… or so it seemed. She had a diamond shape on her forehead, oh, and did I mention very huge breasts?

"I need you to do me a favor, Naruto."

"Is it a mission? Is it a mission?" Naruto said with excitement. _What was a mission for?_

"Something like that, but with your condition it isn't very tough. Only you are able to do it, however."

"Ok, what is it?"

Her eyes darted to me and I wondered what was up. "Please ask your company to leave first." Naruto didn't even have to say a word before I was already stepping outside of the door. I wasn't a part of this mission stuff anyway so I didn't want to bother them.

I stood with my back against the wall and just stared at the floor. _How far have I gotten in the past few hours?_ I thought to myself. _I don't even feel any closer to my goal then when I first arrived to Konoha._ I felt tears well up behind my eyes. _Now's not the time to cry…_ I told myself. _Now's not the time to cry._ But my eyes were betrayed and tears ran down my cheeks.

Suddenly, I felt a presence, and I looked up. I quickly wiped my eyes to clear my vision and noticed someone was standing there, staring at me. He had white, spiked hair, with a mask over his face, but his headband fell over his left eye. I could see a very lost look on his face, despite only being able to see a part of it. He looked scared or frightened. No, it was more like he had just seen a ghost.

Just then, Naruto came rushing out of the door. "Ah! Kakashi-Sensei! Just the person I needed to find." But he still kept his eye on me, not moving a single muscle. "Kakashi-Sensei?"

Kakashi then shocked himself out of his glare. "Sorry. What was his name again?"

Naruto finally seemed to notice Kakashi's odd behavior. He turned to me, giving me a questioning look. I shrugged, not knowing the answer he wanted to hear. It seemed to linger on longer, but all was silent and still for a brief second in time…

Naruto was the first one to speak.

"Kakashi-Sensei, why are you staring at him like that?" My stomach churned at his question, as if I didn't want to know the answer. Kakashi didn't reply, but only began to walk towards me. I was afraid of what he was going to do, but I stood still regardless.

When he stopped in front of me, he placed his book into the small bag behind him. Maybe this was more serious than I thought. Naruto stood there, as utterly confused as I was. Neither he nor I could read what the emotion was on his face. Was Kakashi going to attack me? Perhaps it was for the best if he did, maybe that was my goal, what I was here for.

"Kakashi-Sensei, do you know who he is?" Naruto asked. He only ignored his question yet again. I wasn't really prepared for what happened next.

Ever so cautiously, Kakashi lifted his right arm and steadily reached out his hand towards me. I saw it shaking slightly so I clamped my eyes shut, bewildered at what was going to happen. In that moment, I felt his hand on my shoulder. I had my eyes open in an instant to see what his expression was. He looked so relieved and peaceful; it was easy to see it labeled on his face, regardless of his mask and headband. He let his arm drop to his side before he spoke. I couldn't tell if it was to me but he faintly whispered, "You're real."

I decided to respond without thinking, "Of course I'm real." He only looked like he doubted what I said, so I spoke again. "What makes you think otherwise?"

He blinked slowly, took a deep breath, and said, "It's nothing. I just need some sleep."

Kakashi turned and started to walk away from us but Naruto's curiosity was not satisfied. "Kakashi-Sensei what was all that about?"

"I'm not feeling well; I really should get some rest."

"Oh, well, I just needed to ask you a favor." Naruto put on a big grin. "I just got a mission from Old Lady Tsunade and Takashi here needs a place to stay since I'll be gone for the night."

Kakashi looked back at me, then back at Naruto, "Fine, just for tonight."

"Awesome! I'll be back tomorrow morning Takashi. Then we can look for your friend." He said as he started to jog towards the exit.

"Ok, thank you Naruto." I smiled and waved to him.

"Come along, Takashi." Kakashi said sternly.

* * *

After what felt like hours, but was only mere minutes of following Kakashi to his apartment, we finally arrived.

Once inside, it was cozy, but quite small. I walked around the living room to take in my surroundings.

I tried to compliment it as to avoid the awkward silence but was cut short when he motioned for me to follow him down the hall. While walking down the hall, I stopped to take a peek in a room and noticed it was completely full of books similar to the one he had on him! Kakashi coughed as to get my attention and I grinned, embarrassed once I realized I had been caught. He pointed to a room at the far end of the hall.

"You can sleep here tonight. You can find blankets in the closet on the right." He advised.

"Ok. Thank you, Kakashi."

He turned to go down the hallway and held up his hand to let me know it wasn't a problem. I smiled at the thought of having these great people in my life.

* * *

**To be continued…**


	2. Hair Of The Dog

**Chapter 2: Hair Of The Dog**

Kakashi couldn't sleep.

He stood silently no more than three feet away from Takashi, who seemed to be in a deep and pleasant slumber. Kakashi still couldn't believe how much he looked like _him_.

But that was almost 16 years ago, and Kakashi was sure he'd never get to see Obito again. At the funeral, he had convinced himself Obito wouldn't be coming back, even though he had wished it with every inch of his existence.

Unsure as to what his next move would be, Kakashi pondered all the different explanations for this current situation. Was it a trap? Was it someone using a jutsu as a cruel prank or for torment? Perhaps kids these days all just looked the same? As confused as he was, he couldn't get any answers at this moment.

Or could he?

Kakashi once learned of a certain birth mark that Obito had on his shoulder, but would it be wise to test out this theory right now?

He knelt down next to Takashi, debating on whether to go through with it, or wait to find an alternative. He was a ninja after all, so it's not like he'd have any trouble being noticed. He wasn't, however, one to pry into something like this. Kakashi is one to read the _Paradise_ books, which may have everyone thinking he's a perverted guy, but for him to cross the boundaries of someone's privacy? This was unheard of!

If anyone had ever walked in on this, he knew he'd never be able to hear the end of it, but he felt compelled to try. At the very least, if there wasn't a birth mark on Takashi's shoulder, he would feel at ease.

Ever so cautiously, Kakashi pulled the blanket that covered Takashi's torso. Inch by inch, he tried to unzip the jacket without a sound. He reached down to pull out his arm from the right sleeve when suddenly… Takashi sat up quickly, gasping, slamming into Kakashi's head with a loud THUNK!

"Oww…!" I said as I placed my hand to my forehead, rubbing it gently to ease the pain. I looked towards a bewildered Kakashi and asked, "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, I couldn't sleep. You seemed to be having a nightmare." He seemed a tad uncomfortable… maybe even a little embarrassed?

"Oh," I replied, trying to grasp what it was before it disappeared into the recess of my mind again. "Well, it wasn't pleasant. Hopefully I don't have any more bad dreams."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Kakashi concerned.

I took a second to contemplate telling him. Although he took me in and gave me a place to stay the night, I couldn't get over his weird behavior from earlier. "No, it's ok. If I forget about it I'm sure I won't have any more nightmares," I grinned to assure him. "I'm sorry about hitting your head."

"It's ok. Don't worry about it. I have a thick skull."

"Heh, I do too, apparently."

"Alright, if you need anything, I'm just in the room across the hall." He got up and stood in the door way, saying good night before leaving.

I zipped up my jacket and burrowed under the covers. I closed my eyes and tried to forget about what had happened to Ayame in my nightmare…

* * *

In the morning I woke up and went to go knock on Kakashi's bedroom door. When there was no answer, I cracked open the door but he wasn't in his room. I walked down the hall and found a note on his small kitchen table.

_"Had to run some errands, help yourself to any food you'd like._

_-Kakashi"_

That was really kind of him, but I didn't want to impose, until my stomach felt like it was about to eat itself. _Wait, I still have some money left over from working at Ichiraku, _I thought to myself.

I could just go get something from the festival _and_ look for my friend, thus killing two birds with one stone. Sitting around here doing nothing would just drive me crazy; I had a friend out there who needed me, whoever he was!

Hopefully I would run into Naruto, Sakura, or even Sai, but if not, maybe this was something I had to do on my own. It was nice to have their support, but I felt alone in this quest. If only I had a clue of some sort, then I'd chase it down with all my heart, body, and soul.

I stopped to get a delicious barbecued pork skewer from a vendor close to Kakashi's apartment. As I was enjoying the warm, tender flavor I couldn't help but look up at the faces in the mountains again. Only now did I realize the woman who Naruto had been talking to about missions and such was the fifth face among the others. _Wow, I must be very slow, _I thought, half chuckling to myself.

In the crowd, I tried to notice all the different characteristics about people. There was a man with a green jump suit on, a red belt around his waist, as he was sending a gleaming smile to a girl with her hair in two buns. She had a soft and sincere smile and a very large scroll on her lower back.

I then noticed an old woman, with very long white hair, wrinkles so deep you could probably fall into them, and she was carrying what looked like a heavy bag. I rushed to her aide quickly.

"Hello, do you need any help with that, ma'am?" I asked her nicely.

"Hmm? Is that you Haru?" Her voice croaked. "This bag is so heavy, my arms hurt."

PLUNK! The bag fell straight onto my big toe. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" I yelped as I jumped up and down on my left foot while holding my poor toe in my hands.

I looked down only to see that a huge box had crushed my poor foot. I looked in front of me to see who had been the culprit.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" Said the old lady. "That box was terribly heavy and I am just getting so old, I'm afraid I don't have the strength I used to have when I was younger."

I looked down at my foot. "It's… ow … ok! Really!" I told her.

"Please let me tend to your foot! I am pretty good at bandaging and first aid." She replied.

"No, no, really, it's fine! See?" I put my foot back on the ground, putting pressure on it. It still stung, yet it would be ok in a few minutes. I forced a smile and said, "Thank you anyway though… ugh…"

"Shiko. Shiko Abake." She said, knowing I was asking her name.

"Thank you, Shiko."

"You're welcome…" She looked at me with a raised eyebrow, wanting to know my name.

"I'm Takashi Nakamura." I replied half-heartedly. If only I could know my real name to give to people…

"Well it is a pleasure to meet you Takashi."

"The pleasure is all mine." I grinned.

"Well, I guess I should get going now. I have to get this to the shop right away." Shiko bent down and tried to pick up the heavy item.

"Hey, wait. How about I help you out?" I told her. What harm could be done by helping her? It's not like I was running late for anything.

"Oh! Are you sure? That would be great! Thank you so much Takashi."

"It's no problem, really!" I replied, a wide smile painted across my face. I bent down and struggled with the box for a second, but then I managed to pick it up. "Wow, what's in here? It's pretty heavy." We started walking side by side, towards the shop she had spoken of.

"Oh, it's just some fertilizer for the flower shop I work at. We were running low and a shipment just came in today so I went to go pick it up."

"Aren't there any other people who work there? I mean, why couldn't they have gotten it?"

"Well, there is a girl named Ino working there too but she was… busy."

"What do you mean?"

"She was mad at one of her team mates since he went into the shop and mistakenly ate one of the flowers, thinking it was some sort of food. She was yelling at him and so I thought it was best I got the fertilizer. I didn't want to bother her, or worse, have her yell at me."

"Team mate…?" I whispered to myself.

"Ah, that's right, I noticed you didn't have a Konoha forehead protector. You must still be in the ninja academy. Am I right?"

"Ugh… right." I told her, unsure of what she was speaking of. I tried to hide my confused face from her. I really didn't want to start a fuss in Konoha, it's already a nice and peaceful place, why would I want to disturb that?

"We're here! Let me hold the door open for you."

I walked inside the tiny flower store. I guess that Ino girl's teammate must have left since there was only someone at the cashier. I waited patiently for Shiko to come inside. "Where do you want it?" I asked, shaking. The box was making my arms hurt and I think they were falling asleep.

"Just set it down over there." She said, pointing at the northwest corner of the store.

Happily I rushed over to my destination and set it down as fast as I could. Huff, huff, I panted as I sat on the box.

"Shiko!" Yelled the girl at the main desk. "Why didn't you tell me to go get the fertilizer? You know that's my job!"

"Well, you were just so busy will Chouji that I thought I could get it. Luckily I had Takashi here to help me."

"Oh? Why hello Takashi! I'm Ino Yamanaka." She winked.

"Nice to meet you." I said, worried. This girl was pretty scary.

Ino then whispered to herself… "He almost reminds me of Sasuke."

"Sah-soo-kay?" I repeated quietly.

She giggled and walked over to me. "Well, Takashi, thanks so much for helping Shiko."

"Yes, thank you very much Takashi." Said Shiko, bowing.

"It was no problem. Don't worry." I smiled. A peace and warm comfort fell over me. Helping people is such a great feeling.

"Please, take this as payment." Said Shiko as she handed me three small coins.

"No, really, that's not necessary."

"Please, I insist. For all of your hard work, you deserve something for yourself."

I was hesitant at first, but I eventually gave in. "Ok, if you insist. Thank you Shiko." I said, taking the money from her. This would actually come in handy though since the food at the festival was pricey.

"You're very welcome."She replied, an old but soft smile formed upon her lips.

"Well, I really have to be going now though. There's someone I have to… find."

"Oh? Who is that?" Asked Ino curiously. A sad look fell upon my face. I wish I knew myself.

Shiko sensed the uneasiness. "It's ok Takashi. You don't have to tell us." I smiled at her understanding. Walking out of the door, I waved. "Goodbye!" I told them both.

"Goodbye!" They both said.

"Don't be a stranger!" Ino yelled. "Come back and visit sometime or come and get some flowers!"

* * *

Kakashi returned home only to find Takashi gone. He wondered into the kitchen, and saw a note under his that read,

_"Kakashi,_

_Went out to find someone. Be back before noon._

_–Takashi."_

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the time. 12:35 p.m. Takashi was his responsibility and if anything happened to him, Kakashi would be at fault. The lack of details in the message seemed upsetting and he found it odd, but couldn't figure out why.

Just as he was lost in his thoughts, the door opened. Kakashi moved his way to the living room and caught an out of breath Takashi.

"I'm sorry I'm—"

"Takashi, where were you?" Kakashi said sternly. It caught Takashi off guard of how abrupt and straightforward it was.

"I... I went to go look for someone."

"Naruto left me in charge of you and it's my responsibility to look out for you until he gets back."

His face fell into a frown. "Kakashi, I—"

"It can be dangerous by yourself; you should know that since you've already taken a beating. I noticed your bruises and I know exactly how you got them."

Takashi didn't know what to say, he felt like a scolded child who had ran away from home and decided to come back. "I'm sorry I'm late Kakashi…" The words echoed silently to Kakashi as he remembered that same exact line 16 years ago and it hit him.

_Am I only acting like this because of Takashi's strong resemblance to Obito…?_

* * *

**To be continued…**


	3. The Rooster's Crow

**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter 3: The Rooster's Crow**

Far away in the Land of Water, off into a forgotten corner of islands, a familiar spirit wanders.

The streets are hardly busy. Every now and then, a person can be seen carefully making their way past the small business district, shifting their eyes and observing the surroundings. They know it is not safe in this part of town. Mist envelops every square inch of this tiny island known as Enkakuchi. Anything could be concealed in this mist; it's dense, and darker than usual. A tunnel of the human figured shapes and their walking path are painted in its body, lingering only for a couple moments before becoming enveloped again.

Slowly the spirit makes his way across the island, being in deep thought. He must come up with a plan for revenge. How could he possibly do anything as a spirit-he ponders as a person walks through him-when he can't even touch anything?

Eventually he finds his way to a small graveyard. He softly smirks to himself at how cliché the situation is. Several graves are falling apart, more than likely from the tons of rain and mist, but they do not seem important. He wonders briefly if other spirits linger here too, and if he could see them. This would greatly increase the chances to even a start to his plan.

As he steps around a very tall grave, he is almost taken aback by what he sees sheltered underneath it. A young boy, at least no older than nine, lies up against the cold stone. His deep blue eyes peered across the entire graveyard to an old fallen fence on the other side. Flowers of every kind are at his sides, even the most beautiful blue and maroon Shukushi flower.

The spirit steps softly around him, trying to ignore his barren stare, when seemingly; it's almost as if-could it be?-the boy's eyes seem to be following his movement. Suddenly the spirit is extremely taken off guard when the boy shouts, "Seishingan!" and his eyes become lighter, like an empty blue, with his pupils becoming dilated.

"Oh..." The boy spoke with disappointment. "You're not who I was looking for."

"You can really see me?" Asked the spirit cautiously.

"Yes, you are tall, thin, with red hair."

"You are correct. I am Sasori." Sasori quietly paced around the child and watched as his eyes followed him.

"My name is Tebiki, Tebiki Reikon."

"It is nice to meet you Tebiki. I am impressed with your kekkei genkai."

"Not many living people think so." He sighed. Tebiki's eyes winced as he remembered the villagers' resentment and hateful nature toward him. They would have gotten rid of him years ago, as every last one of them feared a kekkei genkai-even more so his doujutsu-but he was just three years old. They assumed poverty would take care of him. Much to their dismay, he still moves forward, living off of the streets of Enkakuchi.

Sasori diverted him to another subject. "Who were you expecting?"

"I was hoping to find my brother."

"He's a spirit like I am?'

"Yes, I believe he's the only one who didn't fall to the curse."

"Which curse might that be?"

"To where their spirit no longer walks with the living."

"I see." Sasori stopped momentarily to consider who the caster of the curse jutsu was. That is quite a powerful and forbidden jutsu to use, after all. He noticed he was being too quiet so he added, "What might you accomplish when you find him?"

"I miss him. It would be nice to have someone around who actually cares about me." Tebiki shifted his feet and looked down at the muddy water next to him.

"I see. I know the feeling."

"You do?" Tebiki looked up at him.

"Yes, my parents were killed when I was young as well."

"Oh, I see."

"Perhaps we can help each other."

"…How?" He asked reluctantly.

"The person who killed my parents deserves to be killed as well."

He let his head fall and said, "You want me to help you right?"

"Yes, help me, Tebiki, and I will find your brother."

"That sounds nice but that's what all the spirits say. They are all usually killed by someone. I can't help you Sasori."

"I thought you might say that," Sasori smirked. "So this whole time we've been talking I've managed to use a jutsu on you to tether us together intertwined in each of my words. Say hello to my Shimekukuru Jutsu, Binding Soul Technique."

Tebiki, frightened, looked up with widened eyes but all he saw was Sasori's outreached hand completely cover his face as his small gasp was concealed to silence.

* * *

I sat on Naruto's bed with my legs held up by my arms wrapped around tightly. I burrowed my face into my knees and couldn't stop thinking about Kakashi's odd behavior earlier. Was he really that worried about me? Or was he just a strict person? Naruto sat across from me at a small table eating a bowl of ramen carefully with his good arm. You could tell he was right handed but was now adapting to using chop sticks with his other hand pretty well. As he sloshed up some noodles, he looked over at me worriedly. "Aw, come on Takashi, why do you look so down?" He asked in a friendly tone.

"Because I'll never find my friend," I admitted. "It just seems so hopeless." I clenched my eye lids tighter together to prevent any kind of tear from forming. Naruto shifted his position towards me now, ready to give me the _Good Ol' Naruto Speech._

"Look, I know it may seem hard but you have a lot of great friends helping you out, and we'll stick with you no matter what," He shot me a wide grin and a thumbs up. "Dattebayo~!"

I looked up at him and let a small smile escape. Maybe he was right; I did have a lot of support so how could I give up and become so gloomy now? It was only day two of the festival so I still had today and tomorrow to browse the wide selection of faces for someone I would recognize.

"You're right, Naruto." I stood up now with my new found determination. "Let's get going and find my friend!"

He rubbed the back of his head with his good arm sheepishly, "After I finish my ramen!" He laughed, and I joined him with a small chuckle. I could somehow tell that Naruto was pretty big about his ramen, especially since Ayame called him her "best customer." Speaking of Ayame, I wondered how she was doing, especially since she was alone now running Ichiraku all by herself. Day one was probably the peak of the festival so at least Ayame was able to get through the busiest part.

As soon as Naruto was finished, we set out for the main street of the festival. I figured it would be best to scan larger crowds of people. I really thought that if I saw the person I was looking for, maybe my memories would come back all at once, if even that. I was quiet the entire time we walked around as I let Naruto talk. He told me about many things, like about his dream to become the Hokage, his struggle at the ninja academy, and his Chuunin exam, even about his early missions with his team. It was all very interesting and sounded like a new adventure every day. Naruto was about to tell me about how he broke his arm when we stopped in front of that same lady from yesterday.

"Naruto, Tsunade-Sama needs to speak with your friend." She informed us. I was confused; someone actually wanted to speak with _me_?

"With Takashi? What for, Shizune?" He asked curiously. She shook her head. "It's important but I cannot say." I gave Naruto a worried look and he returned my expression with a troubled one. Was I in trouble?

"Well, guess we shouldn't keep Old Lady Tsunade waiting." He motioned for me to follow as we went to see the Godaime once again.

* * *

Upon arrival, Tsunade was looking at a folder in hand. Tons of papers and files littered her desk from what was once a clean and well organized one from before. "Hello, Takashi was it?" She mused without looking up.

"Yes m'am," I replied politely. "You called for me?" Naruto was silent, eager to know what the Godaime needed from me.

"Indeed I have. You see, I am aware of your recent amnesia. I know I may not look it but I am also a medical ninja. It was once a determination of mine to be able to heal memories but abandoned the thought because of the lack of test subjects," I gulped at the last few words and she continued. "But here you are today with nothing more than a day's worth of memory in your head." She put down the folder and stood up, walking over to me with her arms crossed behind her. "Tell me Takashi, what is the earliest thing you can remember? Take all the time you need."

I looked down at the floor, trying to remember. It wasn't something that was pleasant so I had almost tried to block it out entirely, but since it was all I had I didn't want to let it go.

"I know it was cold, and dark. I felt like I couldn't move, as if there wasn't any space _to_ move. I was floating and felt a light electrical sensation throughout all the nerves in my body. I tried to breathe, but was only filled with water. I panicked and swam to the top of the water as fast as I could, nearly coughing up all the water for a good half hour," I looked up momentarily to see that Tsunade and Naruto's expressions were full of sorrow but I continued. "The next thing I know I felt a calling to come here to Konoha. It felt right, it felt familiar."

Tsunade put a hand to her chin, "I see, and knowing that you have only these past few hours gives me the advantage because I could reach deeper into your mind to help retrieve your old memories."

Naruto spoke before I could, "WHAT?! Are you serious!? You could really do that?"

Tsunade nodded, "It is possible, but it's reasonable that there might be side effects." My heart sank a little. I wanted to ask but maybe it was best to be in the dark about it.

"What kind of side effects?" Naruto already beat me by asking what I couldn't muster.

"I have only attempted this once before and the side effect was loss of eye sight," She informed me straightforwardly. "If I am able to complete it successfully I shouldn't have any problems."

"B-But, what's the chance of it working?" I choked out. If anything I want this to be worth it.

"After much compiling and analyzing, I have pinpointed it down to a chance of 35%." She placed both her hands on her hips, waiting for my reply but of course Naruto was the one to speak first.

"35%?! Takashi, that's crazy! You could lose your eye sight and then never be able to find your friend." He blurted out without thinking. He was right though, it was a huge risk… But it was one I had to take.

"Do it." I said almost inaudibly. Naruto's eyes widened, and he was stunned almost as much as I was.

Tsunade only smirked, whether it was because of my stupidity or determination I was unsure. "Very well Takashi. Naruto, you may not want to be here for this."

He shook his head, "I will be here for Takashi no matter what." Tsunade smiled at his caring nature as she walked over to me.

"Close your eyes. Concentrate deeply on thinking back to a long time ago." She said in a whispering voice, almost hypnotizing.

I obeyed and closed my eyes, trying with every will power I could find to remember who I was. What was my real name? Who were my friends? Who was the person I needed to find?

I felt Tsunade's hands press against my temples. They were warm and had a low humming sound. Trying not to get distracted, I concentrated harder on remembering. Suddenly I felt a strong sharp pain on the entire right side of my body. "GUAAAAHHH!" I couldn't help but cry out from it, and I resisted collapsing so Tsunade could finish. I grit my teeth and clenched my fists enduring the pain; I just couldn't fathom why it was only on the right side of my body. It was immense and felt like the pressure of something heavy was pushing against me.

"Takashi!" I heard Naruto cry out with worry.

"I'm almost finished!" I heard Tsunade yell at him, perhaps to keep him away. I could feel the heat of her hands become increasingly hotter by the second and the humming sound was now buzzing in my ears. My sense of balance was thrown off as a strong spinning sensation wrapped around me and it was making me queasy. This was almost too much to bear, and I could feel my eyes welling up from tears. Another jolt of pain shot up from my right foot and all the way to my right eye. In an attempt to lessen the pain I compressed my left hand over it. "AUUUGGGGGH!" I collapsed to the ground hitting it hard.

Naruto and Tsunade were right at my side, "TAKASHI!" Said Naruto loudly even with the slight faded hearing I was experiencing. If only I could stand up, but the weight of the world was practically holding me down, and I blacked out.

* * *

My eyes shot open, and it was dark. _Oh no_, I panicked. _I've lost my vision_. After going for that chance to get my memories back, it was for nothing. I could feel warm tears run down my face, but only from my right eye. When I lifted my hand to check my left eye, it was missing…

I sat up screaming, with my eyes full of tears. Panting, I had turned to the surprised Naruto. "Takashi! You're awake!" I tried catching my breath, looking around. I was in a hospital bed. "W-What happened?" I blurted out.

He got up to walk over to me and said soothing shushing noises. "It's ok, it's ok, you just collapsed is all. You really needed some rest. Didn't sleep much last night I'm guessing?"

I shook my head, "No, not really." I wiped away my tears. "Too many nightmares," I admitted reluctantly. "But I don't know why."

"Well, I'm just glad you still have your eye sight," he comforted. "Regardless of whether you got your memory back or not but you had us worried there."

"I'm sorry." I muttered quietly. I was still an empty slate, and I couldn't believe it didn't work but I guess I should feel lucky I didn't lose my vision. "Where is Tsunade?"

"Oh she's around here somewhere, probably had to take care of some Hokage business." He informed me. "She'll want to check on you before we leave."

"Right…" I turned to look out of the window, it seemed to be getting cloudy and gloomy outside. The silence of the room was only disturbed every few seconds by the low beeping sounds of the machine hooked up to my arm. As if on cue, Tsunade entered the hospital room.

"Hello Takashi, I am glad to see you are making a quick recovery." She said kindly.

"It was… painful." I revealed to her. "Did that happen to the first test subject too?"

Tsunade shook her head, "No, which is why this is a whole new window of data opened." She walked over to the other side of the bed, "Are you experiencing any pain, nausea or any kind of side effect?"

"Not that I can tell right away." I observed. "But I'm sure you'll be the first to know." She chuckled lightly but I didn't think it was that funny.

"Very well, you know where to find me if you wish to try it again." The corner of her mouth upturned into a smile as she left the hospital room. _For my friend I just might risk it again..._

Naruto had an unaccepting expression, "I still don't like how she's using you as a test subject!" He admitted.

"I know, but it's so I can find my friend." I replied calmly.

"She just annoys me is all," he said while pouting a bit. "But I really don't think you should try again."

"But Naruto…" I said quietly, "I have no other lead."

"Of course you do, Takashi! You know what your friend looks like so all we have to do is—"

"No, I don't." I interrupted him with the truth. "I don't know what he looks like or anything, not even his name!" I pressed my hands over my face.

"Takashi…." He said quietly.

"My name isn't Takashi! I don't… I don't even know my _real_ name!" I spoke through my hands but it was clear what I had said.

Naruto was silent now, but I couldn't see his expression. I knew it had to be one of disappointment or resentment. "It's ok though," he spoke calmly. "It's ok if you don't know your real name or the face of your friend. It's ok because you will persevere and find him, and when you do you'll know who you are."

Before I could reply he was already out the door and I was left with my regret. I was alone now, just like I was two days ago, right back at the start.

I could not get over this feeling of failure. Was it because of my nightmare? Or was I really just an absolute incompetent and useless waste of air? Maybe there was a reason I had amnesia, a good reason.

I couldn't take it anymore. I ripped off the heart rate monitor from my hand and threw the blankets off of me as I got up. I raced out the door past the nurses and out of the hospital. I didn't know where I was going, I just ran as fast as I could. I ran and ran as far as my legs would take me. I past many people on the main street where the festival was still being held, being careful not to run into anyone.

When I finally stopped I was outside of Konoha, and it started to rain. I didn't mind the rain though; it was like it was washing away all my negative emotions and hopelessness. I then noticed a large stone and as I walked closer to it, I noticed it had many names written on it. I looked them over out of boredom but nothing caught my eye.

That was, until I looked down and noticed a pair of orange goggles. I picked them up and considered them to be pretty cool so I couldn't help but try them on. Oddly enough they fit me perfectly and they kept the rain out of my eyes. I figured maybe I could borrow them for now and then put them back later.

In that moment, I felt a presence so I turned around. Behind me was a rain-soaked Kakashi staring at me with a strange expression.

It was the same expression from before when I first met him.

* * *

**To be continued...**


End file.
